00 / OVERVIEW

Mobile Case Management App

In this UX/UI case study, I designed a mobile-first case management workflow that helps social-service teams access client records, document field interactions, update progress, and complete essential work in real time.

Mobile case management app dashboard and client workflow screens

The Challenge

Case managers were constantly moving between appointments, often completing meaningful client work in the field before having to circle back later to review details, document case notes, update progress, manage next steps, and enter required information into government databases. Because the existing workflow was built primarily for desktop use, documentation was often delayed, context was lost, and the same information had to be entered more than once. The opportunity was to create a mobile first experience that made it easier to capture work in the moment while also giving case managers real time visibility into case performance, so they could see the progress they were driving and the impact they were creating for clients.

Timeline

6 months

Role

UX/UI Lead Designer

Platform

Mobile case-management app

Status

MVP completed and internally tested; not publicly launched due to funding loss.

My Contribution

I collaborated with leadership and end users to gather requirements, worked alongside engineers to assess feasibility, and delivered final design recommendations that shaped the MVP. Research synthesis, workflow design, information architecture, wireframes, UI design, prototyping, and usability iteration.

Design Goal

Help case managers complete high-frequency field tasks in the moment with less administrative friction.

Project Toolkit

Slack Trello Microsoft Office Microsoft Teams Figma FigJam Adobe Color Adobe Xd InVision Google Drive Google Sheets

01 / DISCOVERY

Understanding Case Management Work

Research Activities

  • Reviewed common case-management tasks completed in the field.
  • Synthesized staff feedback around client notes, updates, tasks, and information access.
  • Mapped the disconnect between desktop-first systems and real-world field workflows.
  • Identified repeated friction around delayed documentation and double data entry.

Key Insights

Notes were often captured after the interaction Client context was difficult to access quickly Duplicate data entry created rework Connectivity could not always be assumed Guided workflows needed flexibility

Research Synthesis

I interviewed 25 case managers working across homeless shelters, veteran homelessness programs, and housing services that report to HMIS. I then synthesized their feedback into recurring themes, including delayed documentation, fragmented client information, duplicate data entry, and limited access to field-based workflows.

Discovery Artifact Affinity map synthesizing case manager research findings
Discovery Artifact Empathy map showing case managers’ field-work needs and frustrations

Case Manager Needs

The empathy map helped clarify the real-world constraints of field work: case managers needed quick access to client context, flexible workflows, and a faster way to capture accurate notes while moving between appointments.

Discovery Artifact

Problem Statement: Case managers need a mobile-first way to access client context, document interactions, update progress, and complete essential tasks while in the field without relying on delayed notes, disconnected workflows, or repeated data entry.

02 / IDEATION & DESIGN

Designing for Fast, Focused Field Work

The experience focused on the actions case managers needed most often, while making essential client information easier to find and act on.

Design Flow

From research findings to a focused mobile workflow and UI system.

Research
Define
Prioritize
Flows
Wireframes
UI System

Feature Prioritization

Talk-to-text notes, client snapshot, task management, field document access, and guided note templates were included in the MVP. Government database integration was high-impact but dependent on integration, so it followed post-launch. Integrated client records, offline sync, KPI visibility, and advanced analytics were high-impact but low-feasibility, so they were deferred. Lower-impact items like FAQs, profile settings, ratings, recommendations, and the partner marketplace were logged as future-phase opportunities.

Strategy Artifact Feature prioritization matrix for the mobile case management app MVP

Information Architecture

The app was organized around the actions case managers needed most: reviewing client context, capturing a note, planning and updating progress, completing tasks, and moving through guided service workflows.

Architecture Artifact Information architecture for the mobile case management application
Flow Artifact User flow for reviewing client context and documenting a field interaction

Client Interaction Flow

I mapped the core field workflow a case manager would take when reviewing client context, documenting an interaction, attaching supporting information, and identifying the next step. This helped keep the mobile experience focused on the most frequent field tasks.

Wireframe Evolution

Home Screen Early concepts prioritized a broad system overview and general KPIs. Focus-group feedback showed that case managers needed more immediate, action-oriented information. The refined home screen introduced clear case-status visibility, including active, outstanding, and recertification states, alongside a task overview. These updates improved scannability and helped users quickly understand priorities and next steps. Case Documentation Initial case-note concepts focused on basic documentation. Research revealed that case managers needed faster ways to capture notes after field visits, complete funder-required information, and attach supporting documents. The mid-fidelity workflow elevated talk-to-text as a primary action, added required funder fields and file attachments, and organized content into accordion sections. Chunking the form reduced visual fatigue and gave case managers a more flexible way to complete relevant documentation while moving efficiently through required steps.

Design Artifact Evolution from early wireframes to refined mobile case management screens
Final UI Artifact

Final Mobile Screens

The final version connected case notes and case planning into one continuous workflow. Persistent domain tabs kept service areas accessible, while goals, barriers, referrals, action steps, milestones, status, and client acknowledgment were organized in one place. A new home screen also provided performance feedback, upcoming tasks, and task management tools, giving case managers a clearer view of both client progress and daily priorities.

Final mobile case management app interface screens

03 / VALIDATION

Evolving the Case Plan Workflow

Focus group sessions revealed that case planning needed to support more than completing a separate form for each service domain. Case managers required a flexible workflow that reflected how plans are created, reviewed, updated, and documented over time. The initial concept used a simple domain-selection flow, followed by individual forms for housing, income, transportation, and other needs. Through collaborative review, the workflow evolved to include:

Version 01

Domain-Based Planning

The first iteration used a simple domain-selection flow with separate forms for each service area.

Initial domain-based case planning wireframes

Final Iteration

A Complete Case Planning Workflow

Focus group feedback led to persistent domain tabs, multiple plan phases, clearer status and milestone tracking, referrals, goals, barriers, action steps, and client acknowledgment fields.

Revised case planning workflow with goals, barriers, milestones, and action steps

Outcome

I interviewed 25 case managers who worked across a range of field environments, including homeless shelters, street outreach, and encampments in the woods, before returning to the office to document. This mattered because notes were often partially completed in their vehicles between appointments, then re-entered, sometimes double or triple entered, across multiple databases once they were back at a desk. Participants said reporting requirements were extensive and that the standard three-phase case plan didn't reflect how cases actually evolved. Observing case managers write notes in transit and re-enter the same data into separate systems, I inferred that documentation needed to move with them rather than wait for a return to the office. These insights shaped three key decisions: talk-to-text and guided case note templates to ease in-field documentation, added case-plan phases to match real caseload complexity, and a consolidated case-plan view to cut down on redundant entry.

04 / REFLECTION

What I Learned

I began by treating case planning as a form-completion problem. Testing showed that it was actually a living workflow that crossed service domains, changed over time, and required shared accountability. That shifted the design from separate static forms to persistent domains, multiple plan phases, milestones, barriers, action steps, referrals, and client acknowledgment. Next steps focused on the deferred and integration-dependent work: building out government database integration, and evaluating offline sync, KPI visibility, and advanced analytics for a future phase once the core mobile workflow was validated in the field. Because the product was an internally tested MVP that never reached public rollout, real-world adoption, long-term data accuracy improvements, and the impact of these features on reporting outcomes remain unvalidated.